Two USC students, Ying Wu and Ming Qu from China who were both studying electrical engineering at the university's Viterbi School, were fatally shot around 1 a.m. Wednesday in the West Adams neighborhood.

The shooting took place about a mile from the South Los Angeles campus.

USC officials are helping the Los Angeles Police Department with the investigation. Neighbors say they heard shots fired and saw a young man, one of the victims, escape the car to seek help at a nearby house.

The 20-year-old was found dead on the house's porch, his female companion slumped in the BMW parked outside. Police Cmdr. Andrew Smith said LAPD personnel are looking for one killer, but had little in the way of leads.

While few details are yet known, police believe the students died in a failed robbery attempt. The neighborhood surrounding USC is known to be a high-crime area, though major crimes have recently declined.

The university issued an official statement, saying it was "saddened and outraged" by the incident and "working aggressively" with LAPD and the Department of Public Safety to track down the shooter. Assuring the public that the campus is safe is an ongoing concern for university officials. The killings of the two students comes as the university conducts orientation programming and tours for prospective and incoming students.